Updated at 9:46 pm on July 26, 2022.
Tuesday is election day for Jackson and Graham Counties. Following the May primary election, both counties had to schedule second races to determine who will be on the ballot in November during the general election.
Jackson County is holding a school board runoff between nonpartisan candidates Abigail Clayton and Lisa Buchanan. Buchanan was the top vote-getter in the primary but because she did not receive 50 percent of the vote, Clayton was able to request a runoff. Many of Buchanan’s campaign signs read, “Your Conservative Christian voice” which has caused a local debate about the legal separation of church and state.
After early voting, 1640 ballots were accepted; that’s about 5.6 percent of registered voters or about 25 percent turnout for the race ahead of election day. That’s according to Western Carolina University political expert Chris Cooper. His analysis shows that 58 percent of the early ballots were submitted by Democrats, 15 percent Republican and 27 percent Unaffiliated.
In Graham County, there is a second primary between Republican candidates for Sheriff Jerry Crisp and Russell Moody. Crisp is the incumbent and was chosen to fulfill the unfinished term of former Sheriff Joseph Jones in July 2020. Crisp has been in law enforcement for 37 years, according to the Graham Star. The winner will face unaffiliated candidate Brad Hoxit in November. Hoxit is a state trooper.
After early voting, 445 ballots have been accepted in the county; that’s 8 percent of those eligible to vote. Since it is a Republican primary only Republicans and unaffiliated voters can cast a ballot. The early voting breakdown consists of 73 percent Republicans, and 27 percent unaffiliated voters.
Moody was previously the sheriff in Graham County for one term in 2007. During his term, an arsonist burned down his office and sent him a grenade with his name on it, according to the Graham Star.
Residents can vote at their polling place from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. You can find your polling place here.
At about 9:30pm, 100 percent of precincts were reporting in both the Jackson and Graham Counties. Here are the unofficial results:
In the Jackson County runoff for a school board seat, incumbent Abigail Clayton won about 60 percent of the vote (59.69 percent) against Lisa Buchanan (40.31 percent). Buchanan was the top vote-getter in the primary but she didn’t clear a local law that required a 50 percent threshold to win.
In the Graham County second primary for Republican sheriff candidate, former sheriff Russell Moody won the Republican candidate spot with about 54 percent of the vote (53.68 percent) against incumbent Jerry Crisp (46.3 percent).
The results will not be official until after next week's canvass.
This post has been updated.
